The CEO of UnitedHealth was fatally shot in the chest Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown in what police say was a targeted attack.
Brian Thompson, 50, was at the hotel at around 6:46 a.m. arriving early for a conference when a masked man allegedly waiting for him fired at the CEO repeatedly and fled eastbound off of 6th Avenue, police sources told The Post.
Thompson was rushed to the Mt Sinai Hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced dead, police said. Officials said no arrests have been made yet and that the investigation is still ongoing. The suspect was described as a white male wearing a cream-colored jacket, black face mask, and black and white sneakers. Officials said he was also carrying a grey backpack.
Witnesses told The Post the suspect had been spotted near the vicinity of the hotel, on 6th Avenue, milling around.
Sources said the shooter wasn’t a guest at the hotel but it is unclear if he had other business there.
When the suspect spotted Thompson, he began to fire from a distance, striking him multiple times, police sources added.
The masked man then fled through the Ziegfeld alleyway and hopped on a bike to flee the scene.
Thompson, who has worked with UnitedHealth for the last 20 years, took the role of CEO for UnitedHealth in 2021.
He previously served as the company’s head of government programs, including Medicare and Retirement.